DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER

See Luke 24:1-12

and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest.

Introduction:

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1756 Why Am I Here?

Why Am I Here?

A story about Dwight Morrow’s notorious absent-mindedness: Getting off the train in New York, he hastened into the telegraph office and wired to his secretary: “Why am I in New York? What am I supposed to do?”

He received a prompt answer; that he was on his way to Princeton to deliver a lecture.

It had been an eventful passover. No one could ever have imagined that this festive occasion would leave so many feeling so empty. But it did, because the one who had inspired and encourage them had been taken from them. It happened the day before yesterday and the images of that scene was etched in the minds and memories of those who witnessed it. But most especially for a group of women who lingered behind, as the crowd left, to see them lay his body in a tomb and seal it with a large boulder.

As they made their approach to the graveyard early that morning, the memory of that stone occupied their thoughts and conversation (Mark 16:3).

Mark 16:3 NASB 2020

They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb for us?”

Yet, upon their arrival they discovered that their worries and concerns about the stone dissipated, but were replaced by the reality of an empty tomb.

The text says “while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in gleaming clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.”

People forget all the time

There is not one person in here today that has not had at least one recent episode of forgetfulness. Whether is was forgetting where you put your car keys, your wallet, your glasses, etc. To most of us, these times constitute a major crisis because we are keenly aware of the pervasive rise of memory loss and dementia. Is there anybody in here who can testify that you have forgotten to take you medicines and it completely upended your mindset? I think I am correct to assert that people forget all the time.

In this case, the angels ask the question: Why are you looking for the living One among the dead? His tone implies that they should have known that He was not here, but risen. It appears that Mary and the ladies were forgetful too.

Why do people forget?

It is completely conceivable that these women’s memory lapse was the result of neglecting the experience that they were supposed to embrace. We are reminded in several places that they were informed about His resurrection by the Lord. But because the message was unpopular and hard to understand, they brushed it off.

Carl Trueman, Academic Dean, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, once commented that “it is all too easy for us to forget that the act of forgetting is not an act of the will.” Many have attempted to forget by willing it so and have discovered that memory doesn’t work like that. Some have tried to drink them away, smoke them away, sleep them away, party them away, only to discover that memory doesn’t work like that. People don’t forget because they will memory away. On the contrary, forgetfulness is a function of neglect or not caring, or on occasion, ill-health.

What is blocking your memory

The angels sensed that there was something preventing these women from recalling what they should have embraced and issued them an order to remember. See Lk 24:6-7

Luke 24:6–7 NASB 2020

Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.”

While He was still in Galilee: See Luke 9:22, 44; 18:31-34

Luke 9:44 NASB 2020

“As for you, let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of Man is going to be handed over to men.”

Luke 9:22 NASB 2020

saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised on the third day.”

Luke 18:31–34 NASB 2020

Now He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that have been written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be ridiculed, and abused, and spit upon, and after they have flogged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise.” The disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

These text reveal that the disciples, including these women, did not retain what they heard because they didn’t want to hear it. There’s a warning for somebody listening to me today: Not wanting to hear the Word of God is detrimental to your soul. May I suggest that it can cause I loss of passion, purpose, and power. Look at the text: the women were perplexed, terrified, and on the ground. Why, because they neglected to remember.

Don't forget to remember the words of Jesus.

Improving one's memory is not all that difficult. Most of us simply don't expend the time or effort required. "The true art of memory," wrote an English historian, "is the art of attention." We can improve our memories by simply putting our minds to it and by following a few simple rules: 1) Remember to remember. Telling yourself that you want to remember this or that fact and concentrating on it will improve your memory immediately. We remember what we WANT to remember. 2) Sharpen your observation. Pay close attention to what you see and hear. Use images. Shut your eyes and try to SEE it. Notice details. really LOOK at things. Few people actually do. 3) Practice recall. Forgetting is most rapid soon after learning. It helps, therefore, to make a deliberate effort to repeat and review immediately. Repetition will help fix the fact or image in our minds. 4) Concentrate. Eliminate distractions. The mind is at its best when it is centered on one thing at a time. Avoid such things as fatigue, noise, and competing visual images during the time you are trying to learn. 

Conclusion: Always remember Jesus

Remembering Jesus' words restores passion

Remembering Jesus' words restores purpose

Remembering Jesus' words restores power.